Tilting mechanism for venetian blinds



Jan. 29, 1957 H. K. LORENTZEN 2,779,403

TIL-TING MECHANISM FOR VENETIAN BLINDS Original Filed Oct. 1'7, 1951INVENTOR v Jqansfflorezztzezz .ATTORNEYJ- 2,779,403 TILTING MECHANISMnon VENETIAN BLINDS Hans K. Lorentzen, Montclair, N. J., assignor toLorentzen Hardware Mfg. Corp., New York, N. Y., a corporation of NewYork Original application October 17, 1951, Serial No. 251,707, nowPatent No. 2,670,038, dated February 23, 1954. Divided and thisapplication November 19, 1953, Serial No. 393,136

3 Claims. (Cl. 160-177) This invention relates to Venetian blinds and,more particularly, to tilting mechanisms for Venetian blind head bars.This application is a division of application S. N. 251,707, filedOctober 17, 1951, now Patent No. 2,670,- 038, granted February 23, 1954.

In the so-called enclosed head type of Venetian blind, the mechanism forraising the blind and tilting the slats of the blind is cointainedwithin a more or less enclosed hear bar which may be formed of asheet-metal channel extending along the top of the blind. This mechanismmay consist of a tilter fitting mounted adjacent one end of the headbar, a cord lock mounted adjacent the other end, a tilt rod journalledin the tilter and cord-lock'fittings and extending longitudinally of thehead bar, and two or more tape rockers mounted on the tilt rod andsupporting the ladder tapes of the blind. The present invention isconcerned with the tilter fitting.

In the form shown of the present invention, the tilter body is formed ofa unitary sheet-metal stamping having a base adapted to be mounted onthe inside bottom wall of a head-bar channel and having a verticallyupwardly extending flange for receiving a worm and gear for oscillatingthe tilt rod so as to tilt the slats :of the blind in both directionsfrom the horizontal. A portion of the tilter body is displaced informing an opening for receiving the worm and this displaced portion isutilized to form an end stop for limiting endwise motion of the tiltrod.

Among the objects of the present-invention are to provide an improvedtilter construction incorporating an end stop for the tilt rod, toprovide such a tilter which may be economically produced fromsheet-metal stampings, to provide a tilter that is durable anddependable in operation, and to generally improve Venetian blind tiltersof the type described.

Further objects and objects relating to details and economies ofconstruction, manufacture, and use will more definitely appear from thedetailed description to follow.

My invention is clearly defined in the appended claims. In the claims,as well as in the description, parts are at times identified by specificnames for clarity and convenience, but such nomenclature is to beunderstood as having the broadest meaning consistent with the contextand with the concept of my invention as distinguished from the pertinentprior art. The best form in which I have contemplated applying myinvention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings forming part ofthis specification, in which:

Fig. l is an isometric view of the upper left corner portion of aVenetian blind, a portion of the head bar and of the lift cord andladder tape being broken away to show details of construction.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of a tilter organization according to thepresent invention, only a portion of the head bar and of the tilt rodbeing shown.

Fig. 3 is an end elevation of the tilter and tilt rod, a portion of thebottom wall of the head bar being shown in vertical section.

nited States Patent Fig. 4 is a vertical section of a portion of thetilter and head bar taken generally on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3, a portionof the tilt rod being shown in elevation.

Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic view of a portion of the tilter body,indicating the method of forming the tilt-rod end stop.

Referring now to Fig. 1, the Venetian blind of the present inventionincludes a head bar 10 which may be formed of a sheet-metal channelwhich has been pierced and lanced to provide openings for the tapes andcords of the blind and to provide tabs 11 struck from the bottom wall ofthe head bar for mounting fittings such as the tilter fitting 12. Thetilter 12 oscillates and supports one end of a tilt rod 14 which extendslongitudinally of the head bar. The tilt rod 14 has tape rockers mountedthereon, one tape rocker 15 being shown, for supporting the slats andbottom bar of the blind.

A ladder tape 16 is suspended from each tape rocker 15, the slats of theblind being in turn supported by the ladder tapes, one slat 17 beingshown. The blind is provided with lift cords reeved in the usual mannerfor raising the blind, one lift cord 19 being shown, and a tilt cord 20for tilting the slats between blind-open and blind-closed positions.

The tilter of the present invention, which is in some respects similarto the tilter disclosed and claimed in Nelson Patent 2,630,861 of March10, 1953, comprises a tilter body in the form of a sheet-metal stampinghaving .a generally fiat, horizontal base portion 22 and a generallyvertical upstanding flange 24. The flange 24 is formed to provide twopairs of opposed, arcuate strap portions 25, each pair constituting ajournal bearing for rotatably supporting a worm shaft 26. Preferably,the worm shaft 26 is mounted at an angle to the horizontal, beingforwardly upwardly inclined. A worm 27 is fixed on the worm shaft 26 andis received in a rectangular opening 29 formed in the flange 24 betweenthe two pairs of straps 25. A cord pulley 30 for receiving the tilt cord20 is fixed to the forward end of the worm shaft 26. This generalconstruction is described in more detail in my Patent 2,226,623, issuedDecember 31, 1940.

The upper portion of the vertical flange 24, above the worm opening 29,is provided with a circular journal bearing 31 for rotatably receivingthe tilt rod 14. Preferably, a portion of the metal displaced in formingthe journal bearing 31 is formed into a laterally extending sleeve onthe outside surface of the flange 24 to provide an extended bearingarea.

A gear 32 is mounted against the inside face of the flange 24 and isprovided with a D-shaped hole 34 for nonrotatably receiving the tiltrod, the hole 34 registering with the bearing 31 in the flange. The gear32 is preferably a sheet-metal stamping and is provided with teethmeshing with the worm 27. Preferably, the teeth of the gear 32 extendfor only about one-half of the circumference of the gear to provide anescapement tilter as gerligiaglly shown in Nelson Patent 2,174,994 ofOctober The gear 32 is provided with a laterally extending bearingsurface 35 which is preferably rotatably received with in a circularopening 36 in a gear retainer 37 overlying the gear and retaining itagainst the inside face of the flange 24, although the bearing surface35 of the gear may be rotatably received within the bearing 31 in theflange if desired, the bearing being made somewhat larger in diameter.The gear retainer 37 may be provided with a pair of tabs 39, 39 pass-ingthrough slots 40, 40 in the vertical flange 24 of the tilter andclinched against the opposite side of the flange to hold the gearretainer and gear 32in position on the flange. The construction andassembly of the vertical flange 24 of the tilter, worm 27, gear 32, andgear retainer 37, as thus far described, is

Patented Jan. 29, 1957 i in most respects generally similar tocorresponding parts of the tilter shown in Nelson Patent 2,630,861.

Referring particularly to Fig. 5, metal which is displaced from theplane of the vertical flange 24 of the tilter body in forming the Wormopening 29 is bent up to form an end stop 41 for limiting endwisemovement of the tilt rod. Preferably, only the central portion of themetal so displaced is utilized, this portion being bent along the lineof the top margin of the worm opening 29 (line 33 of Fig. into ahorizontally extending portion 42 extending in parallel, spaced relationto the tilt rod, and a terminal vertical portion 44, bent at a rightangle to portion 42 (Figs. 2 and 4) and extending in a vertical planeacross the prolongation of the axis of the journal bearing 31 so as tolie across the end of a tilt rod 14 received within the bearing.

As shown in Fig. 5, metal extending for substantially the entire heightof the worm opening 2% is used for forming the end stop 41. Thus, theportion 42 of the stop (Fig. 4) is so long that it places the up-turnedtip 44 at a location which is remote from the vertical flange 24 andremote from the annular bearing 31. Accordingly, the present end stopaffords a large degree of tolerance as regards the distance that the endof the tilt rod may be telescoped beyond the vertical flange 24 and thebearing 31. This makes it unnecessary to cut the tilt rod to length withanygreat degree of accuracy.

The base portion 22 of the tilter body is generally flat and in theassembly indicated in Fig. 1 extends towards the center of the blind atleast as far as the adjacent lad der tape 16. The inner end portion ofthe base 22 preferably i provided with a cord guide consisting of acircular raised bead 45 extending about a round hole 46 to provide asmooth bearing surface for passage of a lift cord 19 downwardly throughthe bottom wall of the head bar lo, the head bar being provided with asomewhat larger hole (not shown) so as to avoid contacting the liftcord.

The base 22 of the tilter preferably is also provided with a pair ofslots 47, 47 which, in the assembly indicated in Figs. 1 and 2, receivetabs 11 struck up from the bottom wall of the head bar and clinchedagainst the upper surface of the base 22 to retain the tilter inposition.

The edge of the base 22 of the tilter below the cord pulley 30preferably is inclined upwardly into a plane generally perpendicular tothe worm shaft 26 and lying immediately behind the cord pulley andformed to provide a cord guide 49 for the tilt cord 2.13. The ends ofthis upturned portion of the base are turned forwardly and inwardly asindicated in Fig. 2 to form a pair of spaced, upwardly flaring,harrellike, cord-receiving formations 50, 5d. The barrellike formations5t), 5% do not extend completely about the cord but have opposed sideopenings 51, 51 to permit lateral insertion of the tilt cord.

The base 22 of the tilter 12 preferably is provided with an upwardlyextending tape-rocker guide portion 52 provided with a transverselyextending, upwardly opening slot 53 to receive an end flange 54 of thetape rocker. The guide portion 52 and slot $3 are so located as tomaintain the tape rocker centered over the slots provided in the bottomwall of the head bar for passage of the ladder tapes by restrainingendwise movement of the tape rocker. Preferably, the upper end of theguide portion 52 is laterally extended on both sides of the slot 53 toaid in preventing misassembly of the tape rocker. If the tape rockerwere displaced so far as not to be engaged by the extensions of theguide portion 52, it would be readily apparent to the head-bar assemblerand the misassembly of the parts would be corrected immediately.

In assembling the above-described tilter into the head bar of Fig. l,the tilter rotatably supports an end of the tilt rod 14, and thevertical portion 44 of the end stop 41 limits endwise movement to theleft, as viewed in that figure, of the tilt rod. In the completehead-bar assembly, s shown in my application s. N. 251,707, of whichthis application is a division, the other end of the tilt rod 14 isrotatably supported by a cord-lock fitting which has an end stopincorporated therein for limiting endwise movement of the tilt rod tothe right, as viewed in Fig. 1, the two fittings serving to rotatablysupport and retain the tilt rod,

In the above-described tilter, the end stop 41 is formed by a simplestamping" operation from an area of the body in which an opening must beformed for other reasons, thereby forming theend stop in the sameoperation as in forming the opening and, at the same time, withoutsacrifice of strength of the tilter body or requiring additional metalat the margin of the body. At the same time, the margin of the journal31 is undisturbed so as to retain a smooth tilt-rod bearing at thatpoint.

I claim:

1. In a Venetian blind tilter for assembly into the head of a Venetianblind, the tilter having a horizontal sheetmetal base from which avertical sheet-metal flange extends upwardly, a worm and gear beingcarried by the vertical flange for oscillating the tilt rod of theblind, the gear being located above the worm, the gear and the verticalflange being pierced for telescopic reception of the end portion of thetilt rod with the rod passing through and projecting beyond the verticalflange, and the Worm being mounted in an openingformed in a lowerportion of the vertical flange; the improvement which comprises: a stripof metal from substantially the entire height of the worm opening in the vertical flange being bent to extend from the top' of the Wormopening and lie generally parallel to the tilt rod axis, the striphaving its tip projecting upwardly and extending into the path of thetilt rod as the rod-end is telescoped beyond the vertical flange,whereby said tip limits the telescoping movement of the tilt rod but islocated remotely from the vertical flange and thereby affords a largedegree of tolerance in the distance which the tilt rodmay project beyondthe vertical flange.

2. In a Venetian blind tilter for assembly into the head of a Venetianblind, the tilter having a horizontal sheet-metal base from which avertical sheet-metal flange extends upwardly, a worm and gear beingcarried by the vertical flange for oscillating the tilt rod of theblind, the gear beinglocated above the worm, the gear and the verticalflange being pierced for telescopic reception of the end portion of thetilt rod with the rod passing through and projecting beyond the verticalflange, and the worm being mounted in an opening formed in a lowerportion of the vertical flange; the improvement which comprises: metaldisplaced in piercing the vertical flange to receive the tilt rod beingformed into a sleeve to surround the tilt rod and form an ex tendedbearing therefor, and a strip of metal from subr stantially the entireheight of the worm opening in the vertical flange being bent to extendfrom the top of the worm opening and lie generally parallel to thetiltrod axis, the strip having its tip projecting upwardly and extendinginto the path of the tilt rod as the rodend is telescoped beyond thesleeve which forms the extended bearing for the tilt rod, whereby saidtip limits the telescoping movement of the tilt rod but is locatedremotely from the sleeve and thereby affords a large degree of tolerancein the distance which the tilt rod may project beyond the sleeve.

3. In a Venetian blind tilter for assembly into the head of a Venetianblind, the tilter having a horizontal sheet-metal base from which avertical sheet-metal flange extends upwardly, a worm and gear beingcarried by the vertical flange for oscillating the tilt rod of theblind, the gear being located above the worm, the gear and the verticalflange being pierced for telescopic reception of the end portion of thetilt rod with the rod pass ing through and projecting beyond thevertical flange, and the worm being mounted in an opening formed in alower portion of the vertical flange; the improvement apropos whichcomprises: metal displaced in piercing the vertical flange to receivethe tilt rod being formed into a sleeve to surround the tilt rod andform an extended bearing therefor, and a depending long strip of metalfrom the worm opening in the vertical flange being bent to extend fromthe top of the Worm opening and lie generally parallel to the tilt-rodaxis, the strip having its tip projecting upwardly and extending intothe path of the tilt rod as the rod-end is telescoped beyond the sleevewhich forms the extended bearing for the tilt rod, whereby said tiplimits the telescoping movement of the tilt rod but is located remotelyfrom the sleeve and thereby affords a large degree of tolerance in thedistance which the tilt rod may project. beyond the sleeve.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

